


The Color Red

by captaincharisma



Category: IT - Stephen King
Genre: M/M, Reddie
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-27
Updated: 2019-10-27
Packaged: 2021-01-04 17:04:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21201113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/captaincharisma/pseuds/captaincharisma
Summary: "I know your secret... your dirty little secret! Should I tell them, Richie?"Eddie Kaspbrak and Richie Tozier are hopelessly in love with each other, but they're both ignorant and stubborn teenagers who are growing up in a homophobic town. The Losers all know the truth, but neither one of them do. Pennywise returns to cause more trouble and the Losers are back at it again to save not only the town of Derry, but themselves. It comes in threes, the color red.





	The Color Red

los·er/ˈlo͞ozər/noun

a person or thing that is put at a disadvantage by a particular situation or course of action.

What's it like to have a weird feeling when you get around your best friend? To be unsure of your sexuality and live in one of the most homophobic cities in Maine? Be glad you aren't Richie Tozier, because that's me. I'm stuck in this endless loop of trying to figure out whether I like boys or whether I like girls, but that's not the only obstacle I have in my way. Acceptance stands in my way.

I recently met a group of kids around my age, which is where I met my best friend. Eddie Kaspbrak. Yeah of course I know the names of the other people, I'm not that much of a prick. I've got Bev, Ben, Mike, Bill, and Stanley. I really only have a good connection with Bev, but no one else needs to know that. We all killed this one clown together, so that's cool.

"Rich, come look at this." Mike was waving me over to the kissing bridge where he was pointing to a carving. It said 'E + R', nothing more and nothing less.

"What about it, Mike? It's fucking letters and a plus sign." I pushed my glasses up on my nose as Eddie came up behind Mike. A nervous habit.

"What are you guys looking at now?" Eddie hand his hand on his freshly covered arm, it simply read L O <strike>V</strike> E R. Some dumb bitch at the pharmacy wrote L O S E R across his cast, so I fixed it. His shirt was red that day, so that's the color marker I chose.

"Someone carved their name into the bridge. I just wonder who it is." I rolled my eyes at Mike meanwhile Eddie was scratching the back of his neck furiously. I narrowed my eyes at him and his face grew red.

"Jesus Christ, Eds. Did you suddenly get sunburned?" Mike spun around and immediately began to laugh. It was kind of amusing, but then I thought about it. Eddie was nervous about telling someone, something clearly.

"Shut up, and don't call me that." Beverly rolled up next to us with a grin on her face.

"Movie night?" Eddie's attention was drawn away from the carving and directed towards Beverly. His eyes lit up like a Christmas tree at the idea of watching a movie. His 'mommy' never lets him do anything fun like that, so when he's with us; we're his getaway.

"What movie though, Bev? I'm not watching When Harry Met Sally for the seventeenth time." I crossed my arms across my chest as Beverly huffed and began thinking of another movie.

"Okay, what about Say Anything? I know you haven't seen that tons of times if at all, Rich." I just stared at Beverly while she basically begged me to let her choose that movie for tonight's feature. Eventually, I gave in.

"Fine." Beverly hugged me from the side and rode off on her bike shouting that she'd see us all later, but were we getting the whole Loser's club, or just the few of us standing here?

"I gotta go guys, I'll see you tonight for the movie!" Within seconds, Mike was gone and it left just me and Eddie. It made me nervous to be by myself with him. I haven't figured it out yet, but I know eventually I will. He gives this weird, warm feeling just being beside him and when we're alone? All I can ever do is insult him. It's like my defense mechanism; something to keep myself at bay, you know.

It's scary to think that I might not be straight. It scares me that I might have feelings for my best friend. I don't know how to get around it. I don't know how to say it, come out as I hear sometimes. Living in Derry and possibly being gay, that's like a death sentence. One day, I was at the arcade with a boy. He was beautiful, but when he had to leave it felt like I was losing a part of me for that moment. That all changed when I found out that he was Henry's cousin. Those nasty names and everyone staring at me. It was hard. Even being tough skinned and a smartass, a trashmouth as Eddie calls me; I couldn't breathe.

_"Get out of here, faggot!" My head started spinning and my heart was pounding. I looked around at all of the people surrounding, "Go on! Get!" I ran. I just ran as far as I could. I reached the park and I broke down. Tears fell down my face and it was like I was finished. My life was over. The rumors would spread and I'd end up face down in a ditch, full of maggots, smelling like Eddie's mom's underwear. I laid in the grass trying to catch my breath and contain my tears. I heard a familiar voice and it was like the weight was lifted off of my shoulders._

_"Trashmouth, why are in the grass in the middle of the park?" I opened my eyes to see him just looking at me. No disappointment, no confusion, just pure concern for me. I laid my hands at my side and pushed myself up onto my elbows._

_"I'm fine, You wanna go to the mall, Eds?" He made everything disappear. I had no worries and I wasn't afraid to be out with a boy._

_"Sure, but don't call me that." Eddie rolled his eyes at me as I got up off the ground and we walked out of the park together. Our hands occasionally brushed and neither one of us ever grabbed the other's hand, but Eddie didn't like boys so he wouldn't have even attempted. I stole glances at him and I thought he was the prettiest boy I'd ever seen. That was the day I started questioning myself. The day I started to wonder that maybe I liked boys too. My best friend, Eddie Kaspbrak; he made me question and I don't hate him for it because I needed it. I needed to think._

_"Rich, you wanna go to the mall?" Eddie picked at his cast and developed a small smile across his face._

_"Sure, Eds. Maybe you should take a shower first though. I know you probably used the bathroom before you left today and I don't want you itching those crabs in public." Just like that, we went off to the mall. Our favorite place besides the arcade. Our friendship capital._

_"Oh shut the fuck up, Tozier. And for Christ sake, don't call me that."_


End file.
